Couple get their American dream

Citizenship battle: After 18 years, Monroe pair become legal residents.

June 24, 2008|By Tom Coombe Of The Morning Call

After an 18-year legal battle, a Bulgarian couple who own a Monroe County pizzeria are finally on the road to becoming citizens.

Zack and Rukie Paputchi are lawful permanent residents of the United States, a federal immigration judge ruled at a hearing Monday in Philadelphia.

According to the Paputchis' lawyer, that means the couple can officially become U.S. citizens in five years. The ruling closes out a case that came to a head earlier this year when Rukie was jailed and facing deportation.

"It's been a hard-fought battle, but it's over now," said attorney Ted Murphy of Philadelphia. "It's a good ending."

Zack Paputchi said he feels like the ruling is a turning point for his family. "Today we realized our feet are on harder ground," he said Monday night, after he and Rukie returned from Philadelphia. "We can say, "Yes, we have a future here."'

He said his wife was too exhausted to comment, having not slept since Sunday morning. "We're exhausted, but we're happy," Paputchi said.

The Paputchis, who run Old Mill Pizza in Sciota, are part of a small group of Bulgarian families living in the Slate Belt and Poconos. The couple sought asylum here, claiming that as Muslims (of Turkish heritage) in Christian Bulgaria they faced persecution if they returned.

Rukie was granted asylum in the 1990s, but had it revoked in 2002. She was asked to voluntarily leave the U.S. by January 2003. At the time, she was pregnant with her second child, and chose to stay and fight the deportation.

The Paputchis had been eligible for legal permanent resident status under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act. Despite its name, NACARA provides immigration benefits to people from some Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, as long as they applied for asylum before the end of 1991. Zack Paputchi applied for asylum in 1990, and under NACARA, his spouse and children would also be covered.

The problem, according to Paputchis and Murphy, is that the government never notified the family of the NACARA rule. That's no longer an issue; it was through NACARA on Monday that the Paputchis became legal permanent residents. Murphy said the judge agreed with the argument that it would create a hardship for the Paputchis to return to Bulgaria. By staying, they keep their home, their business, and their ties to the community.

"It's a great thing," said Mike Zimmer of Bushkill Township, who sponsored Zack Paputchi when he came to the United States. "Rukie, the poor lady, didn't believe it was possible. She paid a price," but it all worked out in the end, Zimmer said.

The ruling itself isn't anything out of the ordinary, Murphy said.

"What's interesting here is that it took so long," he said. "There's nothing earth-shattering here, except for the Paputchis."